Environmental Health eNews: Prepare to open your dine-in food service

The Minneapolis Health Department is committed to partnering with businesses to provide information and support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dine-in service may open on June 1. Guidance from the state is expected soon. In the meantime, what can you do to prepare? We have put together some things to consider as you develop your reopening plan.

COVID-19 Preparedness Plan

Businesses must establish and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan to reopen dine-in food service. This is required in the Governor’s Executive Order 20-56. Find an optional template on the Minnesota Safely Returning to Work website.

Employee health

Develop employee health policy, write it down, train on it.
Hold virtual staff meeting to train, review and have staff sign off on your policy.
Refer to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) interim guidance

Business operations

Sit-down dining areas will likely have fewer seats. Think about how you might reduce seating. Identify possible storage options for extra tables and chairs.
Mark off the lobby for patron waiting area. If possible, have separate areas for takeout and dine-in patrons to wait. Consider capacity of the lobby for patron waiting areas.
Post signs that remind patrons to stay 6 feet apart from patrons in other parties, stay home when sick, covering cough in arm, and wearing a mask when not eating.
Consider creating one-way lanes for patron movement throughout the dining room.
To increase distance between back of the house staff, review station distancing and task separation.
Review your reservation policy. Consider accepting reservations at all times to limit the number of patrons waiting. Text patrons when their table is available.
Develop a mask policy for staff and patrons.
Consider how you can integrate touchless payments.

Sanitizing, disinfecting and cleaning

Create or modify cleaning and sanitizing plans that include different surface types. See CDC cleaning and sanitizing plan guidance
Ensure adequate inventory of EPA registered sanitizer
Check that dispensers and dish machines are working correctly
Ensure adequate inventory of single use gloves
Do a deep clean in front of house and back of house before opening. Customers are going to have a new expectation about cleanliness and safety. This is your way to welcome them back and provide peace of mind.
Frequently clean and sanitize high touch surfaces and items. Schedule larger cleaning and sanitizing tasks during slower times between shifts or when your business is closed.
Decide how you will manage menus (online, disposable/recyclable, sanitize laminated menus between use)
Replace multi-use condiments with single use options (filled ramekins or individually packaged)
Identify where you will buy hand sanitizer and where you will offer hand sanitizer (near host stand, in bathrooms, near hand sink in the kitchen, on the expo line, etc.)
See the CDC Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes

Physical facility

Look for evidence of pests. Verify or establish pest management plan
Look for evidence of plumbing problems. Run water to flush out stagnant water
Make sure your HVAC systems are properly working and can recirculate air effectively
Maximize fresh air intake. Consider ways to improve air flow throughout your dining room.
Open screened windows
Confirm that coolers are in working condition
Evaluate food in the facility and discard where necessary. Consider food donation when appropriate.

Other considerations – planning ahead

Great time to improve social media and online presence: post menus, advertise what your business is doing COVID-19 related, provide recipes or how-to advice, communicate takeout and dine in protocol.
Mine your data to get a sense of what menu items are your top sellers. Consider reducing menu options to reduce food cost.
Contact your vendors to see if they have changed how they deliver services.
Address technology shortfalls as technology will be relied on more in the new normal.
Host virtual meetings with staff in advance to communicate new protocols and get their buy-in.
The health of your employees should be a top priority.

Resources

Resources for small businesses on the City’s coronavirus Business FAQ page
Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) – Planning for Reopening Food Service Establishments as COVID-19 Impacts Best Practices and Protocols
U.S. Food and Drug Administration – FDA Best Practices for Re-Opening Retail Food Establishments During the COVID-19 Pandemic
CDC – Prepare your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – FDA dine-in food service reopening checklist (PDF)
FDA dine-in food service reopening infographic (PDF)

If you have questions about reopening your dine-in food service, contact Minneapolis 311. Call 612-673-3000 or email Minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov. Ask for an Environmental Health supervisor.

Prevent the spread of COVID-19

The best available guidance:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
Cover your cough and sneeze. Cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm
Wear a cloth face covering when around others
Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands
Stay home when you’re sick
Put distance (at least 6 feet) between yourself and other people when in public.

Stay informed

Find the City’s list of Frequently Asked Questions for businesses.
Information for food businesses, and other businesses affected by closure orders, is on the City’s website at http://www.minneapolismn.gov/FLP
Visit Strategies to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota
Visit the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites often
Learn more about Sick and Safe Time. Sick and safe time is a law in Minneapolis protecting time off work.
Sign up for the Minneapolis COVID 19 newsletter (From the Alert/Reminders drop down list, select Coronavirus News and Updates). The newsletter will keep you informed on the coronavirus impacts on Minneapolis and will share information on important resources.